


Silent Treatment

by Marvelite5Ever



Series: That X-Force AU where the mercenaries like attention, the telepathekenetics have varying degrees of guilt complexes, and the genetically enhanced, nanoactive supersoldiers are almost constantly confused [6]
Category: Cable and Deadpool, Deadpool (Comics), Deadpool - All Media Types
Genre: Easter Egg from "Wasn't Expecting that", F/M, Gen, I don't normally use OCs, I really hope she's okay, M/M, Wade fixes it, Wade fucks up, X-Force ignores him, but I had to I'm sorry, really really hope this is okay, wade is good with kids, yes Courtney is an OC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-20
Updated: 2016-03-20
Packaged: 2018-05-27 19:23:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6296902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marvelite5Ever/pseuds/Marvelite5Ever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Sequel to <i>God Mode</i>)</p><p>Wade fucks up, and Nate ignores him. </p><p>Wade does good, and Nate gives him attention and affection.</p><p>It's that simple. </p><p>Wade has a very, very strong incentive to do good.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Silent Treatment

**Author's Note:**

> I'd forgotten about this series, and thus had forgotten I had this next part of the story complete. I was only reminded of it because sbdrag left me awesome reviews that absolutely made my year ( _THANK YOU_ , you wonderful, beautiful person who I don't even know how to respond to because I don't know how to thank you properly for all your kind words, and for noticing the big ideas and little details in my fics that I really, really have wanted someone to notice). 
> 
> In an attempt to thank sbdrag, I'm posting this finally. Hope this is worth _something_ o.o

* * *

_**~Now~** _

* * *

It was bound to happen sometime. Deadpool fucking stuff up. It was bound to happen, and it was bound to be terrific. 

So when Deadpool accidentally killed the person who was literally their _only_ lead—well, nobody was really _surprised._ Disappointed because Deadpool had resorted to lethal force, yes. Angry because now their mission was infinitely harder, yes. But not _surprised_ that Deadpool had fucked up. 

Which at least meant they'd been expecting it, which at least meant they didn't immediately boot him off the team, because apparently Cable deemed him worth the occasional mishap. 

But the fact that they'd all apparently been _expecting_ him to fuck up was a little... 

[Hurtful?]

“Yeah,” Deadpool mumbled, looking up from the dead body to the rest of X-Force, who were also staring down at the dead man, wearing expressions of anger and frustration—because now how the hell were they supposed to get the information they needed? 

“Guys, I'm sorry,” Deadpool said, his voice cracking a little. He played nervously with a knife he wasn't even aware of slipping out of his boot. “I didn't mean to, I—I didn't know he was the guy, I didn't—didn't mean to use lethal force, I really—I've been _trying_ to not always kill people when they attack me, but it's—it's _hard_ , and—I didn't _mean to._ You know I wouldn't have killed him if I knew that he was our guy...” 

He flinched, preparing for a tirade of yelling, of harsh and angry words, maybe some corporeal punishment—

But none of them looked at him. None of them breathed a word to him. 

They just looked at Cable, who began handing out orders for them to search the building for any possible information they could glean.

He didn't give any orders to Wade.

“I... do you want me to leave?” Deadpool asked, and the knife in his hand twirled faster. “I can leave...” 

Cable brushed right past him as if he wasn't even there. The rest of X-Force spread out through the building, likewise neither looking nor speaking to him, leaving Deadpool alone in the dim room with the dead body. 

[Oh gawd. I think they're giving us the _Silent Treatment._ ]

And it _hurt._

He sat down cross-legged on the grimy ground and stared at the unnatural angle of the man's neck. 

[It would have been so much better if they'd just yelled at us and hit us…]

Deadpool knew how to deal with anger and violence. And at least it meant they were paying _attention_ to him, that he was at least _worth_ their anger.

But this... this _We Are Ignoring Your Existence_ Treatment? 

It was almost like those nightmares of him being completely and utterly alone had come to life. It felt like... 

[When Nate was ignoring you the last time? And you almost destroyed the world trying to get his attention?]

“Yeah,” Deadpool mumbled. 

He was still fiddling with the knife.

* * *

**_~A while ago, between the events of “Wasn't Expecting That” and “Mission Impossible”~_ **

* * *

“Cable,” Psylocke said, striding into the monitor room where the rest of X-Force, minus Deadpool who was out on a scouting mission, and Domino who was taking a shower, was gathered. 

Cable looked away from the monitor where Deadpool's face had just disappeared, as the mercenary had just reported in a moment ago. 

“Yes, Betsy?” 

“What are you going to do about _him?_ ” Psylocke demanded, gesturing at the empty screen where Deadpool's face had been. “About _Deadpool?_ ”

“What about him?” Cable asked with a stony kind of patience. 

“You said you have him on the team to keep him out of trouble,” Psylocke stated, arms crossed, jaw set. “But what are you going to do when he inevitably _fucks up?_ ” 

“I would like to know that, as well,” Fantomex piped up from where he was sitting in a desk chair with one leg slung up over the arm rest. He'd been trying to steal Marvel Boy's headphones, up until the point where the Kree, who was sitting on the floor tinkering with one of the alien gadgets he constantly seemed to be working on, had threatened to neuter him if he didn't quit it. 

“I'm glad you brought that up,” Cable said to them. “Because I have something to ask of you all when Wade does 'inevitably fuck up.'” 

“Is there a high probability of that happening?” Marvel Boy asked, glancing up from what he was doing. 

Psylocke glared at him. “Do you even _know_ who and what Deadpool _is._ ” 

The Kree stared back calmly. “I know that he's a mercenary, and that he saved me from being a twisted man's science experiment and attack dog for the rest of my life.” 

“Deadpool's one of the most dangerous and fickle mercenaries out there,” Domino said, appearing in the doorway, leaning casually against it, damp hair falling into her face. 

“ _Exactly,_ ” Psylocke bit out. 

“He also attacked New York with an army from the future,” Fantomex added helpfully. 

“I was under the impression that that was just a ploy to get Cable's attention,” Marvel Boy said, green gaze turning to the mutant in question. 

“Which is _exactly_ why I need you all to do something for me,” Cable stated. Even sitting down in a chair, leaning back and one leg pulled up so that his ankle rested on his other knee, his huge frame was intimidating. “When Deadpool does something wrong, do _not_ yell at him. And whatever you do, do _not_ physically harm in any way.” 

“You're asking us to _ignore_ when Deadpool does anything wrong?!” Psylocke hissed.

“Yes,” Cable said. “That is _exactly_ what I'm asking you to do.” 

“And _pourquoi_ does Deadpool get such _spécial_ treatment, pray tell?” Fantomex asked, a sneer in his voice, though it wasn't visible on his face due to his mask that only revealed his eyes, and which he insisted on wearing all the time. 

“Because he is, for lack of a better term, an 'attention whore,'” Cable said evenly. He locked gazes with each of them in turn. “He craves attention to such an extent that they will do anything to receive it. It doesn't matter whether that attention is positive or negative. The worst thing you can possibly do to him is _ignore_ him. And negative reinforcement doesn't work on him, but he responds well to positive enforcement. So I ask that you all ignore him when he does anything wrong, but when he does _right_ to offer him some encouragement, whether it's a few words, a nod, a smile, a pat on the shoulder. Anything.” 

There were a few moments of silence as they all processed this. 

Marvel Boy nodded as if suddenly things had started making sense. “You only gave him attention when he was causing trouble, and that's why he attacked New York.” 

“I admit partial responsibility for that disaster,” Cable said coolly. “I'm trying to avoid any such calamity happening again.” 

“ _Fine,_ ” Psylocke said tersely after a moment. “As long as you have a contingency plan.” And she left the room.

“And how long should we ignore him?” Domino questioned, walking across the room to take the chair next to Cable, spinning it slowly back and forth as she began picking her fingernails with a knife. 

“Until he does something to fix what he did wrong, or otherwise redeems himself,” Cable answered. 

“And if he doesn't?” Fantomex asked, sounding bored. 

“He will,” Cable said firmly.

“So you won't turn him away?” Domino asked lightly, still cleaning beneath her fingernails, almost idly.

“And let him think that he'll be abandoned every time he accidentally does something wrong, that nobody believes in him—because he doesn't believe in _himself_ —and that he'll never be able to be any better than the _psycho killer_ he was _designed_ to be?” Cable asked, left eye flashing. “ _Of course not._ ”

“Good,” Domino said, the knife concealed away on her person in the blink of an eye as she stood up. She nodded at the dark screen. “Let me know when Wade reports back in.” 

Then she, too, left the room. 

Fantomex stared at the doorway that both Psylocke and Domino had exited through. “ _Women,_ ” he said helplessly, leaning his head back to stare up at the ceiling. 

“ _Humans,_ ” Marvel Boy rolled his eyes, mimicking Fantomex's tone. 

“ _Boys,_ ” Cable chided, sounding exasperated. 

Fantomex stared blankly between Cable and the Kree for a moment. “ _Mon dieu,_ ” he said, covering his face with his hands. “This team is going to drive me _crazy._ ” 

Marvel Boy snorted, and Cable's lips twitched. 

The silence rang, strange and empty; it took Cable a few moments to realize it was because if Deadpool had been there, the room would have been filled with the merc's guffawing, raucous laughter.

* * *

**_~Now~_ **

* * *

“Ow,” Deadpool said dully as he stared at the knife he'd stabbed through the back of his left hand. 

[And... what was that supposed to do, exactly?]

Deadpool shrugged to himself. “Wanted to feel some pain for killin' the guy, or whatever.” He pulled the knife out of his hand with a rough jerk, taking out a hankie to wipe the blood on (he couldn't just wipe blood off on his suit anymore because his suit was white, not red) before slipping the knife back into its concealed location and tucking the cloth away. He checked his hand to see if it had stopped bleeding yet. 

[The way your flesh grows back is pretty cool to watch, actually.]

“Sadist,” Deadpool accused as he wiped the blood off his hand, then began searching the pockets of the dead man. 

[Masochist.]

“Tchh,” Deadpool tsked, pulling out the guy's wallet and flipping through it. “Let's see, there's an ID for one John Guillory, there's a credit card—”

[Let's steal it and go buy tacos!]

“—some of those other cards, some receipts with only a few dangerous purchases—it was _Mr. Guillory_ , in the _suspiciously undescribed room within the suspiciously undescribed building_ , with the _jump rope!_ —and why the hell does nobody carry cash around anymore? You'd think an evil minion would carry around cash, not his stupid ID and credit card, that seems like asking for trouble.” 

[Maybe he has a business card for the evil Purifier organization he works for?]

“Aha! I found something _better!_ ” Deadpool declared, holding up a small photo so that his brain could see it. “He has a daughter!” 

The photo was of a little girl with white-blond hair pulled back in pigtails, and there was a picture of a dinosaur on her lilac shirt, and she was smiling a gap-toothed smile at the camera. 

[You really think she knows anything about what her dad was up to?]

“Of course she does! Just look at her picture;” Deadpool said, waving it in front of his own eyes in case the personality in his head had missed it, “she looks smart!”

* * *

**_~An hour later~_ **

* * *

“Well, it looks like she lives with her mom most of the time, and that her mom and dad were divorced, so I don't have to feel too guilty about killing her dad,” Deadpool said, looking at the house. “Yay, justifications! Like when I threw that kid of the bridge and Spider-Man caught him!”

The house looked like a fairly ordinary home. It had a door and windows and a chimney. The outside was brick.

[No wolf is going to be blowing _this_ house down.]

“I can't believe you just made a reference to a kids' book. That's pretty lame,” Deadpool said. 

[It was on our mind. The girl had pigtails.]

“Does that make us the wolf?” Deadpool asked, sneaking around the house till he saw a window that had curtains with flowers and butterflies. 

[In a dying cardinal's clothing!]

“More like a _red panda's_ clothing,” Deadpool corrected, walking silently closer, finding that the window was cracked open slightly. “I be there's a universe where I'm a panda. Then I'd be Pandapool. That would be cool.” 

[You do realize that you're a total creep for sneaking into a little girl's room, right?]

“I'm not going to _hurt_ her. I won't even _touch_ her.” 

Deadpool opened the window further and slipped quietly inside the room. 

The little girl was wearing black shorts and a green tank top and lying on her floor while coloring in a dinosaur coloring book, holding a pen in a fist, sticking her tongue out of the corner of her mouth in concentration. 

[I think you're supposed to color in coloring books with crayons. Not pens.]

“Crayons are cooler,” Deadpool said. 

The girl looked up, frowning at him. “Daddy doesn't live here any more,” she told him frankly. “You guys can stop coming here looking for him. Mommy doesn't like it. And I'll tell her, you know. You guys can't keep coming here asking why he's late to your secret meetings—though coming through my bedroom window is a new tactic, and a very creepy one. If you don't leave in three seconds I'm going to tell Mommy.” 

[Okaaaay then.]

“Told you she looked smart,” Deadpool said under his breath. 

“One...” the little girl counted calmly. 

“Wait!” Deadpool said, spreading his hands placatingly as he knelt down on the floor. He was suddenly holding a small metal ball with blinking, colorful lights. 

The girl's blue eyes moved to the colorful sphere. 

Deadpool rolled the ball around both his hands, and it looked like the ball was floating. 

“How are you doing that?” the girl asked, sitting up.

“Magic trick,” Deadpool said. 

The girl watched the rainbow-vacillating sphere float around his hands in rapt fascination. 

“Do you want me to show you how it's done?” Deadpool asked. 

The girl nodded eagerly, but then her eyes narrowed as she shifted her gaze to Deadpool's mask. “Why are you here? Are you trying to hypnotize me? Is that what the ball is for?” 

“It might be hypnotic,” Deadpool said, narrowing his own gaze at the sphere in his hands, as if he was suddenly suspicious. “That _might_ be why I like playing with it so much.” 

“Why are you _here?_ ” the girl repeated. “And why did you bring _that?_ ” She pointed at the sphere, which had stilled in Deadpool's hands. 

Deadpool sighed as he sat back, crossing his legs. “Because your dad is dead and I feel bad about it.” 

“Oh,” the girl said. 

Deadpool started playing with the sphere again, keeping his gaze on the blinking lights. 

“Mommy said that might happen,” the girl stated, looking down. “She said he worked with bad people, and that one day he might not ever visit again.” 

“He did work with bad people,” Deadpool said, glancing over at her. “He worked with people who want to kill everybody who's different from them.”

The girl was biting her lip, but she nodded solemnly, even as her eyes were attracted to the sphere floating between Deadpool's hands. “I know. That's why mommy said I couldn't show daddy what I can do.” 

Deadpool looked at her. “What can you do? Are you a mutant?” 

Her eyes widened as she met his gaze, and she quickly clapped her hands over her mouth and shook her head vehemently. “Nothing! I can't do anything!” 

“Whoa whoa whoa, relax,” Deadpool said, holding up his hands, one of them still holding the sphere. “Me and my friends are mutants, too. You wanted to know why I'm here? It's because my friends and I were trying to stop the people your dad was working with, so that they can't harm the mutant race, and your dad got killed in the crossfire. I didn't feel bad at first—just another casualty of war—but when I realized he had a daughter I felt bad and wanted to come see you.” 

The girl was still watching him with wide, scared blue eyes. Her expression was all too familiar. 

[That's because we've seen that expression in the mirror.]

“I'm not going to hurt you, really,” Deadpool insisted. He set the bright, colorful ball down, holding up his hands. “I'm different, too. I can show you.” 

He pulled out a knife. 

The girl gave a muffled shriek and scrambled away. 

[Smart move, moron. Tell her you're not going to hurt her and then pull out a knife.]

Deadpool stabbed himself through the hand. “Ow.” 

The girl stopped, watching him, confused. 

“See?” Deadpool said, pulling the knife out of his hand and holding it up so she could see his flesh knit itself back together. “I'm a mutant with a healing factor. I have a couple friends who can read minds and move things with their minds, I have a friend who creates illusions in the mind, and I have a friend who can stick to walls and grow a Santa beard in a day's time.” He pulled out a hankie and wiped the blood from the knife, storing both items away. 

The girl watched him with something like curiosity, and she slowly crawled forward again. 

“This is what _I_ can do,” she said, standing up ans spreading her arms. 

As Deadpool watched, her skin turned into dark-green and black scales, her fingernails and toenails turning into claws, her hair turning into spines, her eyes turning yellow and her pupils becoming slitted.  
When she smiled (she smiled like she _knew_ she was scary), Deadpool saw fangs, and she flicked a forked tongue out. 

“That. Is. Awesome!” Deadpool said, eyes of his mask wide. 

When she looked surprised, he grinned. “Seriously—I've seen many reptilian mutants and other assorted superhumans, but you—you take the cake. That is _badass._ ” 

[Language! There are children present!]

“Oops!” Deadpool said, covering his mouth. “I meant: that is _bad_ —uh, bad _butt_ doesn't really work—bad _arse_ , maybe? Can I say badarse?” 

The girl giggled, but she sobered as she self-consciously looked down at her scaled arms and clawed hands. “Mommy doesn't like it when I do this. It scares her. I try not to—but sometimes it happens on accident. Like once when there was a storm and a tree fell on top of our house—it came crashing right through my room and almost crushed me.” She made a face, shaking her head. “Or whenever I get really angry, sad, happy, anything. Then my mom freaks out, and I try to turn back, but I can't, cuz the way she's freaking out freaks _me_ out.”

“Can I ask your name?” Deadpool said. “Cuz in my head I keep thinking of you as 'the cute little girl who can turn into an awesome reptile,' which seems rather rude, when you have a name.” 

The girl looked at him with her yellow eyes, scaled lips pursing. “Mommy told me not to give my name to strangers.” 

“What if I told you my name, so I wouldn't be a stranger any more?” Deadpool said. Shifting onto his knees, he held out his hand, saying seriously, “My name is Wade.” 

“I'm Courtney,” Courtney said, reaching out to shake his hand, before flinching and trying to pull it back. “Sorry, scales and claws, I'll turn back—”

Deadpool took her hand and shook it anyway. 

Courtney stared at him. “You're not bothered by...?” 

“Nah,” Wade grinned. “I know several guys covered in fur, a guy who can turn into metal, a woman who can turn into diamond, a woman who can shapeshift...” 

“Really?” Courtney asked as she shifted back into her normal human form. 

“Have you ever heard of the X-Men?” Wade asked. 

“A little,” Courtney said. “Daddy said they were bad and trying to kill us...” 

“They're not,” Deadpool said, rooting around in his pouches for something. “The X-Men help _protect_ humanity, as well as mutants. They have a school for young mutants like you.” 

He pulled out a card for the Xavier institute, handing it to her. “If you ever decide you want to learn with other mutant kids like you, somewhere where you won't be thought of as a freak, or if you get turned out of the house or something—I'm not saying that that _will_ happen, of course, but just in _case_ —just, if anything happens or you need to get away or you need help with anything,” he pointed to the number on the card, “call that number.” 

The girl looked at the card for a moment, before looking back up at him, smiling slightly. “Thanks.” 

“No problem, Courtney.” 

She tilted her head as she looked at him. “Why do you wear the mask?” 

“Because my face scares people,” he answered. 

“Because you're a mutant?” 

Wade nodded. “That healing factor I showed you? Well, I can heal from just about anything—but the trade is that my skin is covered in scars and sores.” 

“Can I see?” 

“You don't want to,” Wade said flatly. “ _Trust me._ ” 

Courtney crossed her arms, glaring. “That's not fair. I showed you what _my_ mutation looks like.” 

“Yeah, but your mutation looks really cool,” Wade said, holding up a hand. “ _My_ mutation makes people barf.” 

“I won't barf,” Courtney promised. 

[She _did_ show you her mutation. Don't be a hypocrite, now.]

“Don't make me, Courtney,” Wade said, clasping his hands together, pleading. “ _Please_ don't make me take the mask off. I'm _begging_ you. Please.” 

“Fine,” Courtney said reluctantly. “Since you said _please_. And since you did technically show me your mutation already.” 

Wade relaxed. “Thank you, Courtney.” 

“Why didn't you come through the front door?” she asked instead. 

“I thought your mommy wouldn't let me in.” 

“Yeah, I guess she wouldn't have,” Courtney said, glancing behind her at the door to her room. “It's past dinner, though, so she probably won't come in and check on me.” She turned back to Wade, brown eyes hopeful. “Can you show me that trick with the ball?” 

“Of course!” Wade said, pulling out the sphere again, which began blinking its colored lights as soon as he touched it. “Will you do me a favor, though?” 

“What kind of favor?” Courtney asked as she sat down next to him, watching the luminescent sphere. 

“Could you tell me everything you know about your daddy's work, so that me and my friends can go prevent them from killing young, nice mutants like you?” 

Courtney reached out to take the sphere when he offered it to her. “It's a deal.”

* * *

**_~Hours after Deadpool disappeared and X-Force returned to base without him~_ **

* * *

“Honey I'm hoooooooome!” Deadpool called, sauntering into the room and carrying a bag that smelled strongly of Mexican food. “And I bring top-secret information about that top-secret evil base of everybody-but-themselves haters! And I didn't even have torture or hurt anyone at all to get it! It turns out that the guy I accidentally killed who was our lead had a young daughter who turned out to be a mutant—her name is Courtney and she can become reptilian and it's _really cool_ —and I gave her a card for the Xavier Institute and showed her how to do a magic trick and in return she told me some information she'd overhead, and—”

He paused as they all stared at him. 

“And also I brought tacos,” he added, holding up the bag. 

And then they were all talking and asking him questions, and he was passing out tacos, and he couldn't help but bask in all the attention, the fact that they were looking at him and talking to him and were accepting him back. 

Psylocke nodded at him. Fantomex actually patted him on the shoulder. Noh-Varr said he was impressed. Domino punched him in the arm and told him that if she ever had children she was going to make him babysit. 

And when, after the din died down, Nate came over and kissed him, murmuring, “You did good, Wade. I'm proud of you,” Wade felt like he was positively _glowing_ inside, and hoped he wouldn't melt into a pile of mush because he'd been there and done that and it wasn't fun. 

But he decided he kinda liked the glowing-inside feeling of having having fixed his mistake having done good without hurting or killing anyone. 

He'd have to do that kind of thing more often.

**Author's Note:**

> I totally didn't mean Courtney Guillory to have such a large part... it just happened, I swear! I usually try to avoid OCs cuz I don't like 'em, so sorry about that and I hope she wasn't too boring or annoying or anything :/ (And damn but I changed her name so many times. Hopefully I changed them all and there's not a random other name in there somewhere.) I wanted her to be interesting, but I have absolutely no faith in my character-forming abilities...
> 
> (She probably ended up having such a large part because I really, _really_ want to write one of my other story ideas with Hope because Hope is a badass—but I have to finish this crazy arc first, and then I have another story I've started that I want to finish, and _then_ I would be able to write the story with Hope—and then after that I have several more crazy long and completely different story ideas with Wade and Nate and other Marvel characters that I want to write—if only I could find the time! And if everything I try to write didn't get so damned _complicated…_ )
> 
> And yeah, Courtney was pretty unemotional about her dad's death—blame it on her reptilian nature or something. She and her dad probably weren't that close, though he probably did love her—though who's to say if he would have if he'd known she was a mutant. 
> 
> And I wanted her to have a mutant power that would explain why she was so unafraid—cuz she knew that nobody would be able to hurt her, and also that she could seriously mess somebody up if she wanted to. Fangs, claws, and probably a degree of superstrength and superspeed.
> 
> Also, just in case anyone likes name meanings:
> 
> Courtney: _(unisex) A French Dynasty Name_
> 
> Guillory: _(French) Derived from a Germanic name, composed of the elements wil meaning "will" and ric meaning "powerful"._
> 
> Anyways. Courtney's superhero name should be, like, Reptilia, or something. That's an untaken and cool name, right? 
> 
> And did anybody recognize the rudimentary hypnotic spectra-based distractor (or 'fancy cat toy') from Noh's apartment in the third chapter of _Wasn't Expecting That_? ;D 
> 
> ALSO: does anyone want to see more of this series? Because I do have another section finished, but it's over 30,000 words long, which means editing and posting the thing will be a frikkin NIGHTMARE. So there's no way I'm gonna post it unless people really, REALLY want to read it. It of course has all the X-Force characters, but it focuses on Wade and Noh's friendship, and on all Noh's awesome abilities that are totally overlooked in the comics. 
> 
> So let me know if you're interested.


End file.
